Philips Dtr-7200 Questions.

[g12345567]

I see this for sale at the moment. for $198. Which is an excellent price.

Just wondering. If I connect the Philips DTR-7200 to my LCD via the composite HD connections on the LCD and I select a SD channel will it upscale all the sd content through the HD outputs?

As my Philips HD 23" LCD only has component HD inputs (no HDMI). And I've noticed that the STB has seperate SD and HD outputs for the component outputs on the box.

Also can anybody please direct me to the Philips web site for this particular model? I have had a look but can't find this model or any other set top box products listed on there web site.

[cdn]

I see this for sale at the moment. for $198. Which is an excellent price.

Just wondering. If I connect the Philips DTR-7200 to my LCD via the composite HD connections on the LCD and I select a SD channel will it upscale all the sd content through the HD outputs?

As my Philips HD 23" LCD only has component HD inputs (no HDMI). And I've noticed that the STB has seperate SD and HD outputs for the component outputs on the box.

Also can anybody please direct me to the Philips web site for this particular model? I have had a look but can't find this model or any other set top box products listed on there web site.

The most striking aspect of the Philips DTR7200's visual display is the round LED display that sits dead in the centre of the front panel; it's used for channel ID, time and even displaying the current output resolution. It's encircled with function buttons that control basic menu functions and allow you to quickly and simply switch output resolution. Aside from a few company logos, the rest of the DTR7200's front panel is left starkly bare, which gives the design a very nice sleek feel. Sure, it still does look like any other TV component you'd care to name for the most part, but it at least isn't an ugly TV component, unlike many other set top boxes.

The rear of the DTR7200 houses the connecting inputs and outputs, as you'd expect; a single antennae in sits above the coaxial video out -- although why you'd use coaxial on a high definition set top box totally eludes us. Otherwise, you've got a single HDMI output, component, S-video and composite connectors, along with a serial port for applying firmware upgrades. Audio output is via either optical, S/PDIF or plain old RCA stereo cables.

The DTR7200's remote is quite busy, but then it's designed to run other Philips AV equipment; there are even buttons at the very bottom of the remote that control the Ambilight features found on certain Philips display panels. Its busy nature contrasts quite sharply against the minimalist display lines of the front panel, although again, there are few remotes on the market that we'd expressly call "attractive".

Features

The DTR7200 is a digital set top box capable of receiving standard and high definition free to air broadcasts and displaying them at either 576p, 720p or 1080i, depending on the capabilities of the output panel it's connected to. It features a seven day EPG function -- more on that below -- and the ability to zoom in on 4:3 broadcasts in order to eliminate side-letterboxing.

The DTR7200 also features what Philips calls "Pulse Killer" technology. Philips claims that the inclusion of its Pulse Killer Chip eliminates interference from other electrical sources, leading to best possible picture reception.

Performance

We tested the DTR7200 with a Philips 32PF9830 LCD TV in the Sydney metropolitan area. Picture quality was superb on standard and high definition sources, and we were particularly impressed with the ability to switch output resolution modes quickly and painlessly to match the quality of the incoming source. It's tough to assess the effectiveness of the Pulse Killer technology, as you'd essentially need a "dirty" signal for it to clean up, but we can see the potential application of it. Anecdotal evidence (including the Government's own white paper on the subject) suggests that many Australian consumers have made the switch to digital more for matters of improved reception than anything else, so any technology that helps improve that should, in theory, be a good thing.

We were particularly impressed with the DTR7200's menu structures, which are incredibly easy to follow and have clear and logical paths for setting all of the box functions. The same is true of the EPG display, which has a clean and easy to read multi-channel interface, but it's almost totally wasted in the Australian market for one very simple reason that isn't the DTR7200's fault. None of the current digital broadcasters actually transmit their full EPG schedules seven days in advance, so you essentially end up looking at a rather blank screen beyond the current and next program. There's no USB input on the DTR7200, so you couldn't even integrate a commercial EPG such as ICEGuide, either.

Philips claim that the remote that ships with the DTR7200 is compatible with other Philips AV equipment including amps and HD TV displays, including distinct buttons for controlling Philips Ambilight panels. We tested with a variety of Philips equipment including the aforementioned 32PF9830, and had mixed experiences. As an example, the remote had no problems controlling the Ambilight features of the TV, but struggled for some reason to control the volume.

There's a more pressing problem with the DTR7200, however. It's no fault of the technology itself, but at the current time there's precious little HD content actually being broadcast at the moment -- especially if you're not a big fan of American legal dramas or, say, Kerri-Anne. This makes any HD STB, including the DTR7200 a tough proposition. On the one hand, it may be something of a future-proofing investment for if HD digital broadcasts do become more common. On the other hand, if that does occur, you can expect consumer interest in HD STBs, and the prices of such equipment, to drop substantially.

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[tobes1503560020]

Just wondering. If I connect the Philips DTR-7200 to my LCD via the composite HD connections on the LCD and I select a SD channel will it upscale all the sd content through the HD outputs?

As my Philips HD 23" LCD only has component HD inputs (no HDMI). And I've noticed that the STB has seperate SD and HD outputs for the component outputs on the box.

Also can anybody please direct me to the Philips web site for this particular model? I have had a look but can't find this model or any other set top box products listed on there web site.

There is no 'SD' component output on the 7200 ie there is only one set of component outputs.

HDMI and component can be set to output 576P, 720P or 1080i - these two outputs transmit simultaneously.

Of course S-video and composite only output 576i (the composite video output is labelled SD)

When I had a brief look philips web site other day, I couldn't find the 7200 either.

[fat]

If you connect the DTR-7200 to you TV via component it will upscale the SD output to whatever resolution you choose. As for the website this product is only available in Australia so Philips decided not to put it on their website as the link for pretty much all products if not all products redirect to their US site IIRC

[g12345567]

Thanks to the above who replied to my enquiary

This is the two page pdf specs flyer I was refering to for the DTR-7200

http://www.dba.org.au/uploads/documents/DT...pec%20sheet.pdf

As I stated before, The Philips HD LCD I am using does not have any HDMI connections on it. So If I purchase this I will be connecting it Via the Analogu HD component (Y Pb Pr) connections. Using the 1920x1080i setiing which is the max resolution my tv can handle.

I see it also contains SD composite and S-VIDEO ports. I am guessing for connection to a television that is Standard Definition Only

From all reviews this is by far one of the best units to go for. Especially when comparing it to something in the same price like the DGTEC. I'd definately go for the Philips over a Dgtec any day.

One more question. Out of interest what else can the remote control be used to control in the same philips product range? EG dvd, vcr, tv, hifi etc

[Doug1503559538]

Thanks to the above who replied to my enquiary

One more question. Out of interest what else can the remote control be used to control in the same philips product range? EG dvd, vcr, tv, hifi etc

I bought a 7200 today from Big W for $198. It works great with my new Philips 50" Plasma. The remote can be programmed to work with any Philips product according to the manual - the default for the TV is the pf9000 series so it works straight away with my Plasma (it is even smart enough to realise that when I press the volume button on the remote to change automatically to TV mode).

Hightly recommended - and a bargain at $198.

I connected it up via HDMI and left it at the default 1080i setting - worked straight out of the box.

[g12345567]

I bought a 7200 today from Big W for $198. It works great with my new Philips 50" Plasma. The remote can be programmed to work with any Philips product according to the manual - the default for the TV is the pf9000 series so it works straight away with my Plasma (it is even smart enough to realise that when I press the volume button on the remote to change automatically to TV mode).

Hightly recommended - and a bargain at $198.

I connected it up via HDMI and left it at the default 1080i setting - worked straight out of the box.

Thanks glad to know that it works well for you. I'm also planning to get one from Big W this week as well. BTW just out of interest what version of the firmawre did it come installed with? I read at least version 2.2 would be needed if you are planning to run it via HDMI to avoid the audio dropout problems.

Does it also come with an analogue HD cable as well (y Pr Pb) cable as well as an HDMI cable? As the analogue cable is the one I need to connect to my Philips TV.

[fat]

It does come with a rubbish set of component cables (y pb pr) but no HDMI cable

[Doug1503559538]

Thanks glad to know that it works well for you. I'm also planning to get one from Big W this week as well. BTW just out of interest what version of the firmawre did it come installed with? I read at least version 2.2 would be needed if you are planning to run it via HDMI to avoid the audio dropout problems.

Does it also come with an analogue HD cable as well (y Pr Pb) cable as well as an HDMI cable? As the analogue cable is the one I need to connect to my Philips TV.

I thought it was version 1.6 when I checked ? I'll have another look tonight. The component cables are just cheapies and you get an aerial lead as well.

I've disconnected the HDMI as it is giving blue sparklies all over the screen (they look like a video dropout) - not sure if it is the HDMI cable the STB or the Plasma.

I'm o.k. with component so this is not really an issue - actually I find HDMI a bit confusing as it sends audio to the Plasma but I use a 5.1 amp for the audio anyway.

Doug

[g12345567]

I thought it was version 1.6 when I checked ? I'll have another look tonight. The component cables are just cheapies and you get an aerial lead as well.

I've disconnected the HDMI as it is giving blue sparklies all over the screen (they look like a video dropout) - not sure if it is the HDMI cable the STB or the Plasma.

I'm o.k. with component so this is not really an issue - actually I find HDMI a bit confusing as it sends audio to the Plasma but I use a 5.1 amp for the audio anyway.

Doug

Thanks. Ended up going down to my local BIG W and purchasing one today. Very nice box. And intergrates well into myparents other Philips Components as well. (LCD and DVD). Well woth it considering other shops linke Bing LEE and Myer in my same shopping square have them ticketed for $299.

Am glad to see they finaly got the Menu feature correct on the remote when using the STD supplied remote to control a Philips dvd player. On the remote bundled with the tv it could control a philips dvd player but the menu button would only access to the setup menus. No acutual button to access the main menu of the dvd.

I am also using Component Output as well (since my HD LCD lacks HDMI) and it works quiet well.

As for the set top box versions. Mine is a hardware version 1.6 and Software version 2.2.

Don't know about your HDMI sparkle problem, but I am sure if you call Philips and explain the problem to them there may be a newer firmware version to fix the problem.

[tobes1503560020]

I've disconnected the HDMI as it is giving blue sparklies all over the screen (they look like a video dropout) - not sure if it is the HDMI cable the STB or the Plasma.

I'm o.k. with component so this is not really an issue - actually I find HDMI a bit confusing as it sends audio to the Plasma but I use a 5.1 amp for the audio anyway.

Doug

Doug, I've also noticed the blue 'sparkles' a few times - happens on blacks, but not consistently. I think I've also seen this on the component output (1080i in both cases). Hasn't appeared enough for me to track down the cause.

I've never seen this artifact with my Teac DVB800 HD STB, so I think it's definitely related to the Philips. OTOH, the Teac used to produce banding on moving red colors when 576i material was upscaled by the STB (so I had to operate in auto (pass through) mode. Unfortunately no STB appears to be perfect.

Overall, the philips box has a consistently cleaner, sharper - more 3D - PQ.

[Doug1503559538]

Doug, I've also noticed the blue 'sparkles' a few times - happens on blacks, but not consistently. I think I've also seen this on the component output (1080i in both cases). Hasn't appeared enough for me to track down the cause.

I've never seen this artifact with my Teac DVB800 HD STB, so I think it's definitely related to the Philips. OTOH, the Teac used to produce banding on moving red colors when 576i material was upscaled by the STB (so I had to operate in auto (pass through) mode. Unfortunately no STB appears to be perfect.

Overall, the philips box has a consistently cleaner, sharper - more 3D - PQ.

I've had a closer look at the blue sparkles and they are in fact rectangular blue blocks - and they also appear on mainly blacks and seem to appear more in ads than the programs for some reason.

Are these what are called artefacts ?

I don't see them when using S-Video so I guess they are related to the 1080i or the HDMI issues.

Version is also 1.6 / 2.2.

Agree that PQ is excellent.

[Cooksta59]

I've had a closer look at the blue sparkles and they are in fact rectangular blue blocks - and they also appear on mainly blacks and seem to appear more in ads than the programs for some reason.

Are these what are called artefacts ?

I don't see them when using S-Video so I guess they are related to the 1080i or the HDMI issues.

Version is also 1.6 / 2.2.

Agree that PQ is excellent.

Edit; removed

[Rogerg]

I'm also getting the blue sparkles effect intermittently, always on very dark scenes, but not always. I'm running it through component at 1080i output. The blus sparkles were quite obvious during "numbers", but only seemed to start after about halfway into the show, so I'm wondering if its heat related. Another thing I've notice is the audio level seems to drift, slowly going louder then softer. I'm using the coax digital out.

[Doug1503559538]

I'm also getting the blue sparkles effect intermittently, always on very dark scenes, but not always. I'm running it through component at 1080i output. The blus sparkles were quite obvious during "numbers", but only seemed to start after about halfway into the show, so I'm wondering if its heat related. Another thing I've notice is the audio level seems to drift, slowly going louder then softer. I'm using the coax digital out.

Roger, for the audio I find that MPEG is more stable voulume wise then Dolby. If a 5.1 HD programme appears then you can always manually select Dolby.

We didn't notice the blue sparkles at first - but once you notice them (in the dark scenes especially) they are extremely annoying to the point of making the picture unwatchable.

I have a new HDMI lead coming tonight but am not that hopeful this will change anything.

I thought using a Philips STB and a Philips Plasma woudl at least give me a reasonable result.

Are you using HDMI ?

[g12345567]

One more quick question. Where does the 1080i, 720p, 576p, settings that both my LCD tv and the STB support come into the equation? I have had a look at both the TV and STB options menu and see no settings for selecting these.

I'm using the component output for connection to my LCD TV.

[Doug1503559538]

One more quick question. Where does the 1080i, 720p, 576p, settings that both my LCD tv and the STB support come into the equation? I have had a look at both the TV and STB options menu and see no settings for selecting these.

I'm using the component output for connection to my LCD TV.

The STB defaults to 1080i - you can change it to 720p or 576p from the stb itself. I don't know why you woudl change unless 1080i doesn't work.

[ibanez5]

Doug, I've also noticed the blue 'sparkles' a few times - happens on blacks, but not consistently. I think I've also seen this on the component output (1080i in both cases). Hasn't appeared enough for me to track down the cause.

I've never seen this artifact with my Teac DVB800 HD STB, so I think it's definitely related to the Philips. OTOH, the Teac used to produce banding on moving red colors when 576i material was upscaled by the STB (so I had to operate in auto (pass through) mode. Unfortunately no STB appears to be perfect.

Overall, the philips box has a consistently cleaner, sharper - more 3D - PQ.

I get the blue sparklies as well.

[Doug1503559538]

I googled "blue sparklies" and got some US sites that seem to think it relates to "dropped bits". My signal strength and quality is full so I am at a loss.

Tonight it was so bad that I went back to watching via S-Video as their are no sparklies with it.

Has anyone rang Philips customer care ???

[aflman]

Doug,

After you pointed this out, I looked out for these "blue sparklies" and I can report they do exist on very dark black backgrounds but are rarely present/noticeable on my Pioneer 506HD plasma. I am using HDMI connection to Yamaha 2700 amp. Sounds like you are a bit unlucky there after noting your comments of how bad it was tonight. Did you end up changing your HDMI cable to see if it was still that problematic for you?

[tobes1503560020]

I've had a closer look at the blue sparkles and they are in fact rectangular blue blocks - and they also appear on mainly blacks and seem to appear more in ads than the programs for some reason.

Are these what are called artefacts ?

Artefacts, in relation to video reproduction, are additions/distortions of the broadcast signal by the reception/conversion/display equipment - this includes banding in colors, clay faces, jaggies, motion blurring, blue sparkles etc, etc.

I was looking for the sparkles today on one of the HD loops - initially there was none to be seen, then they appeared on one scene and I confirmed that they were present on all output settings for the HDMI ie 576P, 720P and 1080i. Changed to component but the scene had changed and I couldn't see any blue sparkles in the blacks - back to HDMI (1080i) and no sparkles there either. Seems to come in and out with my setup, so it's difficult to track down the cause. A shame because the PQ is brilliant otherwise.

I doubt this has anything to do with HDMI cable quality because I have seen it on the component output as well (and not present with my Teac HD STB using the same cables).

I have a splitter from my antenna output for the TV's analogue tuner (which I never use) so I might remove that and see if the slight increase in input signal will eradicate the problem.

[Doug1503559538]

Yeah , I changed to a new shorter (and more expensive) HDMI lead for no improvement. I also checked the 3 output settigns and the sparkles were still there on every channel. Sometimes I get literally hundreds of them popping up all over the screen.

They appear mainly on black or grey backgrounds.

Only using composite or S-Video gets rid of the blue sparklies but also denies access to HD.

[tobes1503560020]

I did some experimenting last night.

For some background: I have a professionally installed antenna, use all f-type connectors/wallplates, all cables to and from wallplates use quad shielded RG6.

The antenna feed is split between 5 rooms.

After removing the additional (f-type) splitter in my living room setup (split between analog TV tuner and STB) I no longer seem to get sparkles on most channels.

I channel surfed for a couple of hours. Only the SBS channels have some mild sparkles on blacks (not as prominent as I was seeing the other day). When I checked for the relative signal strength using the reception test in the Philips, SBS (UHF 28) has the weakest signal at ~80%. All other channels showed 95-100% signal strength.

It appears that the Philips may be unreasonably picky about signal strength - at least with regard to avoiding the sparkles. Strangely even when the sparkles are present the general PQ is excellent.

Like I said elsewhere above, my Teac HD STB does not exhibit this issue - though the Teac's general PQ is not as good as the Philips (less clarity and 3D effect on the Teac, but still excellent IMO).

For me this is not really an issue now (touch wood) - I'll see how things hold up long term.

[Doug1503559538]

Good work Tobes. I am in a rental but the antenna looks pretty new and I am only 10km from Melbourne CBD - signal strength on every channel is full or nearly full.

I also find no difference in the sparkles as I change channels - it's almost as if the sparkles are just appearing with no regard to what channel I am - i.e. if I surf quickly the pattern of the sparkles doesn't seem to change.

I agree that the PQ is fantastic (I only bought the HDSTB to watch the AFL on Ch 10 in HD) - I use Foxtel for all other viewing as it is good enough for me.

I rang Philips cusotmer service and they are going to pick up the box and test it out - I think they won't find anything wrong though - but at least I will know that it is as good as it gets.

My 50" Plasma is very picky on picture quality.

[g12345567]

I also noticed the blue sparkles when watching the HDTV channels today. Im also using the component output onto a Philips 23" LCD. It is especially noticable when blacks are present. If anybody gets to the bottom of this then I'd love to know whats causing the problem. I'm also getting around 95-100% signal strength on all commercial channels here in Sydney about 30km line of sight from the transmitter.